A FERTILITY clinic earmarked for closure has been given a temporary reprieve after council chiefs began High Court action against an NHS trust.

The Assisted Reproduction Unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool was due to close after health trust bosses said they were unable to recruit embryologists.

But the facility will remain open for the time being after Hartlepool Council reached agreement with the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Trust over a plan for more consultation.

The agreement was reached after the council appealed to the High Court to intervene.

Councillor Ray Martin-Wells, chair of Hartlepool Council's audit and governance committee, said: "Clearly, I am delighted with the outcome at the High Court which means that the Assisted Reproduction Unit will continue to provide licensed fertility services at Hartlepool's Holdforth Road hospital."

Cllr Martin-Wells said the authority sympathised with trust employees and patients who have "suffered unnecessarily" during the last three months.

He said he hoped an acceptable solution could now be found, however he added: "I am disappointed that the hospital trust has waited until the 11th hour to agree to our demands which they had the opportunity to do weeks ago and Trust bosses should hang their heads in shame for forcing the Council to take High Court action.

"It is re-assuring that staff redundancy notices have been put on hold and the council now looks forward to open, transparent and meaningful consultation which will explore all possible options to retain licensed fertility services in Hartlepool.

"Hopefully, the hospital trust will realise now that the council's audit and governance committee has teeth which it is prepared to use to protect vital hospital services.”

North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust confirmed it had reached agreement with Hartlepool Borough Council to enter into "engagement and consultation with key stakeholders" about the future of the assisted reproductive unit at the University Hospital of Hartlepool.

It added: "This agreement has been approved by the High Court, on substantially the same terms as proposed by the trust in February 2016.

"It is disappointing that the council felt the need to resort to litigation, which the trust feels was unnecessary and a waste of public funds.

"We look forward to working with key stakeholders about the future of the assisted reproduction unit."